Curiosity Killed The Cook
by Kaline Reine
Summary: When Sanji becomes way too frustrated... Can a certain swordsman help him with his problem? It quickly becomes too much for them when things escalate. But hey, it gets lonely out there on the Grand Line... When the two make a pact to help resolve their problems, they have no idea what they're getting themselves into. ZoSan fic! Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

**Curiosity Killed The Cook**  
 **by Kaline Reine**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story.**

 **WARNINGS: I put basically the same warning on every story I write, so you can consider it sort of a warning of how my mind sometimes works. Haha... This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, yaoi, possible non-con or dubcon, violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: (Prologue)**

Footsteps echoed across the main deck. Shiny black shoes tapped, each one a mere second after the other. The cook adjusted his tie, making sure he looked his best. After all, how else was he going to impress the lovely ladies that were stuck on this ship with him?

The redhead seemed to perk up a bit when he approached, but the darker haired one didn't seem phased. Nami and Robin were notoriously difficult to please. The only way he would make the infamous cat burglar happy would be if he served her a tray full of money, and he was fairly sure the only way he could ever be good enough for Robin was if he were a character in one of the novels she was always reading. They both seemed to have impossibly high standards. And then there was the fact that he was constantly making a total fool of himself in front of them, but we won't even get into that right now.

They had just been sunbathing, and were still in bikinis, he realized... Somehow it had failed to get as much of a rise out of him as usual though. He knew better. It wasn't that he was jaded, per se, but he wasn't too thrilled about always being teased and unable to do anything about it. He wasn't an idiot and he knew their patterns well enough.

"Here," He handed them a tray full of food, trying to avert his eyes as much as possible. Not out of modesty or politeness, mind you, but for the sake of his own damned sanity. "Dinner is served, my lovelies."

They both frowned a little when they saw that it was shrimp again, but they hadn't had much luck catching anything else lately. That was mostly Luffy and Usopp's job, so it wasn't really his fault. He was simply doing the best he could with what he had. At least he had the ability to dazzle everyone by making the same food in so many different ways that it was difficult to even notice it was the same thing... At first.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun." Nami smiled pleasantly at him. "Ne Robin-chan, do you think you could help me with this sunblock? I need to put more on my back. but... I can't reach it." She giggled.

As always, he took the bait. "I'll gladly do it for you, Nami-swan!"

He just couldn't resist. The situation was all too tempting. He silently cursed himself for being so easy.

"No, I asked _her_ to do it." The redhead proceeded to stick her tongue out at him.

"I've got it." Robin smirked at him then, the closest to a true smile he would probably ever be able to get out of her. "Thank you for the meal, kind chef. We'll eat it when we're done."

"Whatever..."

Sparking up a cigarette, he hurried back into the kitchen to cool off. Too bad it was warm in there too. Sanji rolled up his sleeves, taking a deep drag off of his stick of tobacco. He sometimes wished that he could kick the habit, but cooking was a stressful enough endeavor in itself, even without all the sexual tension that exuberated from his crew mates at times.

 _'It's sickening the way they treat me sometimes... That was just plain mean! A calculated move for sure...'_

He was only able to be alone with his thoughts for a few seconds, because a wild Luffy chose that very moment to burst into the kitchen with a wily look in his eyes.

" _Meeeeeaaaattt!_ " He screamed, flailing his arms in a crazy fashion.

Sanji only rolled his eyes, and with a heavy sigh, he deadpanned. "Can I help you, Captain-sama?"

"Umm... Where's the meat?" The dark haired young man looked around like he was scouting for enemies or something. "I saw Nami and Robin with food, so I thought-"

"Here!" The blonde shoved the plate at him hastily, but the dingbat didn't even seem to notice his mood. "It's shrimp. Hope that's alright."

"Awww, I'm sick of shrimp!" He pouted. "I wanted-"

There came another voice from the doorway. "Well if you'd catch something else for a damn change, we wouldn't be eating the same thing day in and day out."

The mossy-headed swordsman had also chosen this time to barge in unannounced. His heavy boots clicked across the floor as he made his way over to the fridge.

"Eh? Zoro-kun?" Luffy wandered over to him, while scarfing down a whole plate full of the little shrimp in the process. "Did you get hungry too?"

He was speaking through a partially open mouth with food hanging out of it, an act that made Sanji want to vomit, even though he had yet to even eat any of the food he'd worked so hard to make. Of course he'd sampled it to check for quality, but he was starving today... In more ways than one.

"Nah, I'm just here for the booze."

He nonchalantly opened the refrigerator. The other two could hear glass bottles clinking around, as he looked for what he wanted.

"Oi! Marimo bastard!" Sanji kicked the door closed with one foot, his eyes glaring at the swordsman. "Now's not the time for that! You can get drunk later, but you're supposed to be on ship watch tonight."

"And who are you, my Mommy?" Zoro snapped, drawing one of his swords. "Try that again, and I'll cut your useless fucking leg off." Watching him with a wary eye, he proceeded to take out not one, but _two_ bottles of wine. Just to spite him.

"Yeah, well... This useless leg has saved your sorry ass countless times, asshole! And I need that wine to pair with dinner sometimes. So watch it."

The blonde shot him several death glares while puffing on his cigarette, all of which were purposefully ignored. Zoro walked out without even taking his plate with him. All he cared about was drinking.

 _'Why do I have to say anything to him anyway? Shouldn't that be the Captain's job? Yet, he doesn't seem to care...'_

"Sanji..."

" _What?!_ " The cook snapped, without meaning to. "Sorry Luffy-sama... What is it?"

"Your eyebrow... It's twitching..." He began to sway to and fro, getting dizzy. "Amazing! Like a whirlpool..."

" _GO!_ " He pointed toward the door, his eyes now betraying the fact that he was seething with anger. "Get the hell out of my kitchen already!"

"Well it's _my_ ship..." Luffy pouted once again, having already snapped out of his prior bout of dizziness, it seemed.

"You may own the rest of the ship, but the kitchen is mine! Here's some extra food, you can have that useless swordsman's plate since he didn't want it, now scram!"

He didn't have to tell him twice. Luffy was already dashing out the door, several plates in hand, and giggling like a madman. Sanji sank into a chair and let out a defeated sigh.

 _'This is job is way too stressful sometimes...'_ He lit another cigarette. When he took a drag, it felt like heaven. _'No wonder I smoke so much.'_

"...Idiots." 

* * *

With a frustrated sigh, Sanji resigned himself to his fate, going up to the crow's nest for a little bit of alone time. The cook had been needing a certain kind of attention for some time lately, and his needs continued to go unmet. He had volunteered to take the next watch, but his shift was almost at an end. The others were asleep now but he'd had to wait until everyone else retired for the night.

He found his thoughts drifting to some quite unusual places, as even his most vivid fantasies hadn't really been able to do much for him lately. They had been at sea for a long time now, and it was very different from the life he had known before as a peaceful cook at the Baratie. They had always had plenty of customers come in, many of them female, and some more than willing to spend a little quality time with a cute blonde cook after his shift...

Once he turned on the charm, few people could resist. But that didn't help him very much at the present time, now did it? If anything, it only made him long to go back to those times. There were reasons he'd never wanted to become a Pirate and that was one of many. Even with his Nakama, it could be very lonely at times... The only time he didn't feel as lonely was when he was bickering with a certain green-haired idiot.

He winced at the state of his own arousal. He'd gotten hard plenty of times, but he hadn't cum for quite a while now.

 _'The state I'm in...'_ He panted, his hand sliding immediately to his pants. _'It hasn't been this bad in a long time. I need to... do something...'_

Sanji began to stroke himself. He felt how hard he was and the thought of it alone only made him that much harder. He wanted to fully undress, but decided against it. Things were too risky right now with the others around. He sat with his back against one wall of the crow's nest, facing the door that led deeper into the ship, so he would instantly know if someone walked outside. He always wondered what he would do if that happened, but so far everyone on the Thousand Sunny was keeping to themselves. Be that as it may, it was still very hard to get any privacy on board the ship. With the cramped quarters and ever-growing size of their crew, that was a given.

And that wasn't the only thing that was very hard... He stroked his length lazily, taking his time to make sure he got the utmost pleasure out of it. He'd gone without any release for too long. He felt some precum leaking out but he was nowhere near close to finishing. He tried to think of Nami or Robin, but they didn't seem to be doing it for him at this particular time. Not even the earlier scenario with the sunblock was helping.

 _'I really wish I had someone who could help me with this... There is just no substitute for real skin-on-skin contact.'_

Sanji panted, his breath beginning to speed up. His strokes had increased too and he was going a little faster. His cock was throbbing now from pent up frustration but he still couldn't get himself to fully climax. It was beyond frustrating. It was like there was something there, teasing the corners of his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Somehow, it managed to elude his grasp at every turn.

A flash of brilliant green threatened to surface from the edges of his psyche. He quickly shoved it away, fighting down his blush. There was a glimmer of gold, hanging in threes from someone's ear; shining... He wanted to reach out and... Abruptly, it stopped.

 _'No, I can't think about_ him.. _. No way!'_

"Mmm..." The cook let out a whine. "Hah..." His breath was coming in ragged puffs, as he gave it everything he had. He moaned probably a little too loudly.

...It wasn't enough.

He had failed to notice that someone else was lurking nearby. A familiar green head, hair spiked and impassive face tinged with beads of sweat, soon appeared past the edge of the thin door that had formerly separated him from the man he now recognized as Roronoa Zoro. The two looked at one another, their eyes met, and the swordsman's gaze briefly looked down, before he noticed...

"Oh," He said, trying to maintain his cold facade, no matter what he had just witnessed. "You, ahh... You come here for that too. I'll just go..."

It wasn't a question, simply a statement. He tried to play it off like it was no big deal, as if he hadn't just walked in on his Nakama masturbating. Before Sanji could even properly put himself back into his pants, the other man had vanished just as mysteriously as he'd appeared. Had his face been red? Sanji knew that his was too, he could feel it. He was beyond mortified! Zoro had just seen him naked, moaning, and... pleasuring himself.

 _'Damn him for interrupting me! That shitty swordsman's gonna pay!'_ The blonde thought, already making his way down from the crow's nest. _'He saw me... naked! What did he think of it, I wonder? Why am I like this? It's so dumb... Who even cares what a bastard like him thinks anyway?'_

A million thoughts were surging through his mind all at once. He could do nothing to stop them, no matter how much he tried. Once it had happened, he knew that his face had just turned the color of a tomato. There was nothing that he could have said in his defense. Not that Zoro had given him enough time to say anything at all...

 _'Really, truthfully... It doesn't matter. It was going to be just like usual and I probably couldn't finish anyway. And if he hadn't interrupted me, someone else would have.'_ He sighed, exhaling a deep breath. _'Maybe I'm reading too much into it..._ _He sure did vanish in a hurry. Where did he go?'_

Once he'd reached the deck, there was still no sign of the swordsman. That meant that he could only be in one place... His usual spot outside the kitchen. Sanji walked toward it unhurriedly. He didn't want to seem overly eager to find him. Especially after what had just happened...

But somehow, he still felt that it warranted some type of explanation. The need to clear the air after such a mishap was all too persistent. He didn't need his rival blabbing to the whole damn crew about what he'd seen, or worse, teasing him about it later. That last thought didn't help his blush any. He would have to fight it down before he ran into the swordsman again.

 _'I'm tired... I need to sleep soon, ugh...'_ But first he would have to make sure the person who had next watch was alert enough to handle things. They couldn't afford to be irresponsible here either.

Everything was already tense enough between the two and he had to make sure it wouldn't be too awkward in the morning. His arch rival had just found out he was an even worse pervert than he pretended to be, and there was no telling who else he might tell about tonight's incident. No, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes here or let this go. Absolutely not.

He wasn't sure which reason was driving him the most, but there were more than enough to justify him tracking down the swordsman. He finally found him sleeping, with his back against the wall, in his usual spot. His legs were crossed under him and his arms were folded. His eyes were closed, but his face was flushed a deep crimson still.

"Oi. Marimo." Sanji squinted, getting down on his knees in front of him. "Don't fake being asleep, idiot!" He shouted, not even caring that he was in the other man's personal space. He felt so violated that it didn't matter right now.

Originally, Zoro had only come here to be alone to do his own thing but now his face was red and he was far too embarrassed to face Sanji again. He kept his eyes firmly shut, while trying to appear like he was sleeping... He knew it wasn't the best tactic, but he was hoping it would prevent any unnecessary interactions between them. What had just happened had been awkward enough as it was. He definitely didn't want to deal with him.

 _'This guy...'_ He thought grumpily. _'Go away already! Don't make me talk to you, not right now...'_

"Hey! I said wake up!" The cook was getting right in his face. He put a hand on Zoro's shoulder and started shaking him.

It was enough to annoy him, but nothing more. He tried to contain his anger, but it was akin to a tiger in a cage... There was no stopping it once it progressed this far.

"Yo! Idiot! I can see the veins popping out on your ugly forehead. Did you know that?" Still no response. Sanji's face tightened and he tensed up. He was getting angry now. "Don't ignore me, you-"

He stopped. Something was wrong. Zoro's face wasn't normally this color. It was still bright red, which was hard enough to achieve with his complexion. Sanji stared at him for a moment.

"Your face..." He gasped. "It's really red..."

Zoro opened his eyes with a snarl. He knew he wasn't going to win and there was no use trying anymore. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen... And the fact that Sanji had decided to follow him all the way down here made it seem even worse. Thankfully the others were still asleep so they wouldn't have to witness this...

"You know... Yours is too, stupid curly brows." He growled, tensely.

"Wha-"

Before he could do anything, the swordsman grabbed the blonde by his necktie and pulled him in close. He wanted to teach him a lesson so he wouldn't pester him like this. That was what he told himself, anyway. It felt like it was taking an eternity to get his face close enough, but in reality it couldn't have been that long, considering that the cook was already in his face when this whole stupid thing began.

Their lips crashed together like the raging sea beneath them. Zoro pressed his lips urgently against the cook's, making sure to bring his tongue out to taste him. He tasted good... _Too_ good. The moment his lips parted, he knew it was over then.

 _'I'm n-not gay!'_ Sanji screamed inside his head. _'I'm not!'_

But he couldn't help but lean into the kiss anyway. His lips felt too good against his own. Sinfully good... It didn't help that Zoro was still firmly grasping his tie with one hand, ensuring that he couldn't just run away, no matter how much he might want to. Then he brought his other hand up to cradle around the back of Sanji's neck, gently guiding him closer and forcibly deepening the kiss. The perverted cook couldn't help but buck his hips against Zoro's, as he struggled in his lap.

 _'When did I end up in his lap?!_ ' He internally panicked, a twinge of surprise hitting him full force. He shifted himself impatiently. _'But why does this feel so good?'_

One thing he'd never tried was doing anything with a man. Sometimes he was a little curious as to what it might be like, but he'd never in a million years have imagined that when he finally did explore it, it might be with Zoro. Even if he did sometimes think of him that way, in secret... The guy acted like he hated him. Part of him had always felt like maybe all of the hatred and fighting was just a ruse. The sexual tension that loomed just beneath the surface had all too often threatened to break through at certain times. But they'd managed to keep it together, until now...

This was the first time that he'd ever kissed another guy, even. And he was quickly losing himself to the overwhelming sensations that followed suit. The moss-haired swordsman was desperately grinding on him, loving the way he was moving against him. Their tongues twirled together, warm and wet.

"Mmm..." The swordsman broke the kiss to let out a fierce moan. "You taste so good..." It was unexpected because he was expecting the taste of cigarettes to be awful, but it wasn't.

He felt a surge of arousal that rocked him to the core... Sanji couldn't suppress the moan that fell from his lips the next time Zoro's brushed them. They felt so overwhelmingly pleasurable, the way they moved against his with such skill, and how their tongues brushed together to toy with each other... The way he kept such a firm grip on the blonde's tie didn't help either, it was starting to cut off his air supply just a bit, choking him and making him dizzy. He tried to suppress a moan but it escaped anyway, spurring his partner on. Even hearing the other man breathe was getting to him now. He was becoming very hot and bothered, the heat between his legs spiraling out of control rapidly.

Sanji knew it wasn't too late to back out. He could still pretend to be grossed out and disgusted by his actions, no matter how his body was currently betraying him. He felt safer staying in this position because he knew Zoro was the one who had initiated it. Though he didn't know why... He just couldn't bring himself to break the beautiful moment between them. It was probably inevitable. It had been building up for some time anyway.

Sanji was curious. Far too curious for his own good. And curiosity, it seems, is what killed the cook... 

* * *

**A/N: I'm a little rusty at writing One Piece fics, and particularly inexperienced with writing about the Strawhats, so I'm sorry if they were out of character. That's the glory of fanfiction though, lol...**

 **I've been reading a lot of ZoSan fics and doujinshi lately, and it's given me a hopeless case of the Yaois. xD I hope at least some people out there will enjoy this cute little fic. Thanks for reading if you made it this far! I will try to have the next chapter up soon, though I'm not sure exactly when. If you enjoyed it, I would love to hear from you. Feedback is always welcomed.**

 **-Kaline**


	2. Chapter 2

**Curiosity Killed The Cook**  
 **by Kaline Reine**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story.**

 **WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, yaoi, possible non-con or dubcon, violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

Before the two could continue their lovely little tryst, Sanji felt Zoro freeze in place. All of his muscles went tense. He'd ceased what he had been doing, and the cook responded with an annoyed growl. There was no time for either of them to process it, however, because he looked over one shoulder to see the obvious reason for the swordsman's lack of movement.

They weren't alone.

There, just on the other side of the deck, not even twenty feet away from them, stood Usopp. Their crew mate chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head. For a long moment, no one said anything at all.

"Ahem..." Zoro cleared his throat, catching both of their attention immediately. Unfortunately, it also drew notice to the fact that his face was undeniably deep red. "Do you mind?"

The sniper only continued to gawk, his jaw fallen and mouth agape. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"Got a problem, longnose?!" Sanji yelled, jerking back and lighting a cigarette with shaky hands in an attempt to calm his nerves.

He stood, trying to figure out how he could play this off somehow. He wasn't sure how long their crewmate had been there or just how much he'd seen... But it had definitely killed the mood. The cook almost whined at the sudden loss of the warm body that had just been pressed against his own. It had felt too good to break the contact now. He wasn't satisfied yet and he was fairly certain Zoro wasn't either.

 _'Damn, am I becoming that needy already?'_ He wondered, disgusted with himself.

"N-no...?" The sniper took a single step back. "No problem, I'll just-" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, laughing.

The three of them were at a stalemate, it seemed... The pair of bitter rivals had just done something shameless that terrified both of them and he had just walked in on something that he never hoped to see. The pair hated each other, right? It was definitely confusing. And to make things that much worse, it was two of the strongest Pirates he had ever come across. Mostly, Usopp was merely thankful that they were on his side. Now it appeared they were at odds, however. There's no way they would trust him with this kind of information and let him live to tell the tale. He was a smooth talker, and a good liar maybe, but there's no way he would manage to keep something like this to himself. It was too weird and far too interesting.

"I mean, I never knew the two of you were-"

"We're _not!_ " The cook snapped, obviously irritated as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"If you say _one_ word..." Zoro growled, knowing he was screwed. No one would ever take him seriously again. Not after this. Not even Sanji would let him live this down...

"Ah, what are we even worried about?" Sanji took a deep, regretful drag from his recently lit cigarette before continuing. "Who's going to believe a liar anyway?"

"I... I never said I'd tell anyone!" Usopp backed away a little more, getting ready to turn tail and run for it. "Your secret is safe with me. Like you said, no one would believe it anyway, c-coming from me and all... So you really have nothing to worry about. I'll just be going now so-"

"Not so fast," Zoro was now on his feet, one hand drawing a sword. "If you so much as mention this to anyone, I swear I'll strike you down where you stand. Got it?"

Usopp stared down the sword that was currently pointed directly at his forehead, scratching at the spot between his eyes. "G-got it..." He gulped. "I'm out of here, I saw nothing! Not a damn thing!" He called to them over one shoulder, without stopping.

The sniper had taken off running before either of them could do anything about it. Now they were alone again. A long and awkward silence filled the gap between them. Sanji felt that it was too big... The silence that lingered now was stifling. Zoro seemed to shrug it off, going back to his usual place, but only leaning against the wall. He didn't sit back down. It caused the blonde to look at him distrustfully, unsure of what he was going to do next.

Sanji was gazing at him from behind a curtain of his soft blonde fringe, trying to think straight. He was kind of bummed out because it didn't last as long as he'd wanted it to, although he would never openly admit that to the swordsman. No way. And he wouldn't ask for more, either. Even if he wanted it. Even if it was the only thing currently occupying his mind. Even if-

 _'What the fuck is wrong with me?'_ He wondered, taking another puff from his cigarette. _'Why do I want to-'_

"Oi." Zoro looked up at him, eyes suddenly serious.

He paused, closing his eyes to steel himself. "What?" Now was not the time to show any weakness. Not if he wanted to live this down.

"We're never going to get any privacy with these morons running around here all the time."

There was another pause.

"Who ever said I would want privacy with a mosshead like you?" He replied carefully, still side eyeing him. While there was an insult there, he hadn't said it with his usual venom.

 _'God, those muscles... And the way he's looking at me...'_ The cook forced himself to stop. _'No. I can't think about him that way. Not after just-'_

"Well," His thoughts were interrupted when the swordsman closed the distance between them in a flash, cornering him against the mast. "I didn't hear you complaining a few minutes ago..."

There was less than half an inch between them, and their faces were even closer. Sanji was all too aware of the bulge that _juuust_ threatened to press against his own. If he had moved his face even slightly, even a fraction of an inch, their lips would be touching. He did not fail to notice the way the marimo was gazing at him either, like a starving man eyeing a full course meal. He looked as if he wanted to eat him alive.

"What makes you think you can- _Mmph!"_

He was cut off again, by yet another insistent kiss. He found himself being pinned against the large mast that was behind him, the hard wood contrasting against the softness of the tempting body in front of him.

 _'Apparently the marimo does want to continue this... This... Whatever this is between us.'_

Unsure of how he wanted to respond, Sanji hesitantly returned the force that was currently being applied to his mouth. An eager tongue snaked across his lips, toying with him, taunting him. He returned the gesture, opening himself to the sexy swordsman. There wasn't enough time to think and he could only give in to his carnal desires. He felt the other move against him, strong hands tangling into blonde hair and pulling a bit, forcing him to tilt his head back.

"Mmmmh..." A moan escaped his throat, against his will.

That only seemed to spur Zoro on, because he was really getting into it. Sanji's mind could only reel at how forceful his kiss was, the man's tongue delving deep down his throat, almost choking him as it squeezed past his own, slipping and sliding around hotly.

Hands were everywhere. Sanji slid one hand up the other man's torso, feeling those hard defined muscles tense everywhere he touched. A strong arm wrapped around his own back, holding him even closer, if that were possible. The swordsman's calloused hand reached lower downward, caressing the cook's ass, letting it fill his open palm as his fingers dipped below the waistband of his pants. Sanji moved a little and was rewarded with a dark groan from Zoro, as his hips shifted forward of their own accord. He'd been trying to escape the groping hand, but hadn't thought it all the way through.

"Ahh..." Zoro broke their kiss to let out a small sigh. It was a faint sound, but the fact that he had such control over the other man was a massive turn on. "You're so..."

Unable to finish his sentence, whatever it was, their mouths clashed together again, teeth almost clacking together in their urgency... Tongues entwining and rolling into each other's mouths... Bodies pressing together with such need.

Sanji could feel his self-control snapping like a twig. He tried to resist the urge to grind against him further, but his hips moved of their own accord. He felt that there were too many clothes in the way. Yes, far too many... Being scraped to death by his zipper was not something he wanted to feel at the moment. His hands flew to his fly, working the fabric off of his hips.

Just as he was beginning to undress, Zoro pulled back. He only stared at him, but there were so many emotions hidden in those dark eyes... Shining down at him like twin evil emeralds.

"What?" The chef managed, breathlessly. The single syllable had come out far more defensive than he'd originally intended. He didn't want to seem this vulnerable, especially not to his rival.

He realized that he probably would have fallen over if not for Zoro's arms holding him up. There was a moment that passed between them, and he'd never felt so weak in the knees before. It was Sanji who finally broke their locked gazes. It was like he couldn't find the strength to face him anymore. He stared down instead, catching a glimpse of the large bulge that stood out from Zoro's frame. His face went even darker red, and he was forced to meet his gaze again.

"You know someone's going to interrupt us any minute, right?"

The words that he dreaded to hear... Whatever was happening, and whatever this strange thing between them now was, Sanji did not want it to end. He got the sense that Zoro might not either, but his expressionless face revealed nothing.

 _'He's so hard to read...'_

"So what then? We part ways and go back to the way things were before?"

"Nothing's changed, shit cook." His face hardened further, his eyes becoming cold once more. "I'm suggesting that..." He trailed off, stopping himself.

"What is it?" Sanji resisted the urge to shove him away and light a cigarette. His fingers twitched for one, missing that small bit of comfort. "You know what? I'm impatient. I'll take matters into my own hands."

Feeling what was left of his control slip away, Sanji challenged him, running a single hand straight down his body, pausing only to caress those sexy abs, before finally settling against the next of pubic hair that peeked from the top of his pants.

"Asshole, what are you- Gaahhh!" Zoro's faced changed. It was back to ecstasy for now, his eyes rolling back into his head. His hips tensed up but he did not move, waiting carefully to see what the blonde would do. He was so close to- He felt Sanji's grip tighten, and the pleasure rolled through him in waves, as the lecherous blonde fondled his hard cock. "Nnnghh... Stop..."

"Why should I?" The cook taunted him, knowing the effect that his brash actions were having on the swordsman.

It appeared that even he was vulnerable to fleshly pleasures. They were both hot blooded men, after all. Even stroking a single finger down his length was making it jump and throb. It seems he wanted him bad.

With a tilt of his mossy head, Zoro indicated the door that could open any minute if someone woke up. And they were sure Usopp wasn't going to be capable of being very quiet while he was cowering in terror from what he'd witnessed only minutes ago. Everyone would be up soon, crowding them with mocking laughs and awkward questions.

" _They_ are why..." He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way that hand stroked his length, even as they talked. "Idiot! Knock it off!"

Unable to reach for his swords, Zoro grabbed him by the collar his shirt. Their eyes locked and he did his best to school his features. He didn't want to do it, but he had no choice. Taking a deep breath, he punched him right in the gut, shattering any illusions he might have had about a peaceful encounter. The blonde went flying toward the railing, lucky that he didn't fall overboard.

"What a neanderthal..." Sanji muttered, dusting himself off as he staggered to his feet.

He felt his knees shaking, and not from the pleasure this time. _No..._ All pleasurable feelings had now left him. He shook his head at the memory of that warm, toned body leaving him. It had been over far too quickly for his liking and he already missed the feeling. Part of him was disgusted by himself for it. This wasn't some random stranger, this was Zoro he was talking about... And thinking about in ways that would have made any sailor, no matter how perverse, blush with shame.

Starting in the direction of the back of the ship, he turned his back to his opponent for a moment, feigning disinterest. He'd noticed, however, the way Zoro stood facing him, staring him down, as if he could anticipate his next move... The blonde whirled around and came at him with a hurricane of kicks. He had hoped to catch him by surprise, maybe, but he had hesitated for a moment too long, and then been unable to contain his temper. There was a fury surging forth from him that he couldn't hold back.

The swordsman seemed to read his every move, and hastily drew another of his swords so that he had one in each hand. They clashed, coming together like a delicate dance, full of fury and death... The cook came at him with kick after kick, all of which were deflected by his blades. Letting out a growl, Zoro came back at him twice as fierce. Every time he took a stab at Sanji, his every move was blocked by those strong legs.

 _'Legs I kind of wanna grab...'_ Zoro found himself thinking, despite trying to shake it off. _'Grab and pull him in close. Fuck all this fighting, it's all been a ruse this whole time anyway...'_

He closed his eyes, in spite of the fight. It was more of a display than an actual battle. It was something memorized, almost choreographed in the familiar way the two always tangled. They both grunted as their moves briefly connected, sending each other sailing toward opposite ends of the ship.

When they stood, Zoro cracked his neck. The cook had landed a hefty kick on his shoulder, dislocating it. He snapped it back into place calmly, like it was nothing, his eyes locked on Sanji the entire time...

The blonde was staring him down too. He'd noticed his injury and he'd been about to offer to fix it, but the brutal way he popped it back into place was enough to make anyone cringe. Sanji wanted to continue their conversation, to explain that he didn't really mean to hurt him, but he knew it was pointless.

Words would be lost on him anyway.

He noticed instead that his jacket had been torn and cut in several places. "This was one of my best suits, you ass!"

"Why do you wear it on a Pirate ship anyway then?" Zoro taunted. "Besides, it looks dumb as fuck. Get over it."

There was a moment of hesitance, as the two tried to sort out whether they wanted to continue this fight or not. It would definitely wake everyone up if they did. There was no point making this worse. They had already crossed a certain line and there would be no going back.

"Not as dumb as you, shitty marimo..." Sanji lowered his voice down to barely utter the words.

The blonde moved closer to him, sizing him up. Zoro snarled, hands still gripping a sword in each. He clung to them like twin life preservers... Because that is what they were. They had preserved his life, and those of his nakama, many times. Right now, he could barely look this other man in the eye. This man, that he had known so well in battle, yet found himself coming apart at the seams with the simple thought of being in close proximity to him. He couldn't trust himself.

And Sanji did not miss the way his hands trembled, his single visible eye dragging downward, trying not to linger in the wrong places for too long. He breathed in, out...

"Shit..." He closed his eyes, turning to notice the sun beginning to come up over the horizon. "It's time to make breakfast."

Turning away, leaving Zoro with the view of only his back as he began to walk away, the cook made his way toward the kitchen. He couldn't afford to let his duties go neglected just because of one strange occurrence. Anyway, he needed an escape, an out... And one was provided. He could get out of here and clear his head, he could-

"Fine, shit cook..." In a flash, his opponent was right behind him. He didn't see Zoro, no. He felt his presence, the same overbearingly dominant presence that the swordsman always carried with him. He could feel his gaze smoldering, burning the back of his head. "We can continue this _later._ "

 _'Promises, promises...'_ Sanji couldn't help but think, casually flicking his latest cigarette over the side of the ship as he walked into the galley to begin his morning ritual. 

* * *

Everyone had been fed that day. Three square meals, just like always. Sanji had made sure to prepare them with the same care that he usually put into everything... No matter how distracted he was. Luckily, no one seemed to notice anything was up. It struck him as a bit off the way that their day had carried on as usual.

He had gone out of his way, just after dinner and before they all went to sleep, to make some special desserts for the crew. He'd made ice cream sundaes for everyone to enjoy. The eager cook had even gone out of his way to pay special attention to the ladies of the ship. The majority of them had received the standard sundae, with two scoops of their favorite ice cream and a bit of whichever type of syrup they preferred most. But Nami and Robin had each received one with all of the embellishments; an extra scoop of ice cream, layered between tons of homemade syrup, with fancy toppings like fresh fruit or nuts, and whipped cream with sprinkles on top. To say that they were fancy would be a massive understatement.

Nami was given hers with cookies and cream ice cream, and caramel sauce which Sanji had made himself, while Robin got hers with strawberry ice cream with chocolate syrup, also made from scratch. They were delighted to get them, but no more than usual. When he'd first started doing things like this for them, it was in an effort to make them feel special. And in the beginning, both girls had made a big deal over it, blushing furiously and giggling like crazy every time he made them something special. Now it had become so common for them that they barely seemed to appreciate it anymore, all but ignoring the cook as he brought them such lovely masterpieces. Not that he particularly minded, but he sometimes did miss the days when they would fawn over his food the way he did over them.

Today was different, however. He'd also made one for Zoro.

Sanji felt a little unsure when he approached the swordsman with the heavily embellished dessert... There was no way of knowing how he would react to it. Generally, he was not fond of being interrupted during his training, and everyone on the crew knew that. But food was one of the few accepted reasons to interrupt him and not get yelled at or worse.

Zoro paused in mid-swing, placing his ridiculously enormous set of weights down onto the deck gently. Sanji could only watch his muscles strain with the effort, silently stifling a whimper and trying desperately not to think about last night. The swordsman looked at him and they locked eyes for a moment, his expression unreadable. The blonde had an inkling that his own was painfully transparent.

"I made you something." He felt like an idiot the moment the words had left his mouth.

 _'Of course I did, I'm the ship's cook... I sound like such an idiot!'_

Fighting down a blush, he held out the tray for the green haired man to take. He'd made Zoro something less sweet, since Sanji knew he didn't exactly have an affinity for sweets. It was three scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream, drizzled with sea salt caramel sauce which he'd made extra salty, and the same whipped cream he'd given the girls. He'd held back on the sprinkles though, feeling that there was absolutely no way he could get the ship's first mate to endure anything even remotely girly or whimsical like that.

He didn't even seem to notice it, instead scarfing it down like some kind of animal. In moments, Zoro consumed all of it, and then proceeded to lick the sticky syrup from his fingers with a satisfied smirk. Throughout all of this, he didn't say a single word. Sanji's single visible eye was drawn in like a fly to a spider's web to the way his tongue lapped at his digits, treating each of them as if they were the most delicious thing on earth.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Ah. There it was. Zoro's signature snark, right on time. It was the same as it had always been between them, only... At the same time, it was different somehow.

"Damn marimo, you could say thank you at the very least!" Sanji smacked him in the forehead with the tray he'd been carrying. It was gentle, but hard enough to still hurt. "I tried out a new recipe and I was waiting to see your reaction, so I'd know if it was a hit or miss. That's all."

He then turned to leave, before anything weird happened or their fight escalated. He didn't think he could take another round of fighting between the two of them right now.

"Wait." The other Pirate told him, without asking. Zoro gripped him by his shoulder, and then relented, his palm sliding down to the cook's forearm instead, but not quite touching his wrist.

"Hm?" Sanji paused, not yet pulling away, but also resisting the gentle tug he felt as the swordsman tried to pull him in closer.

"We need to talk."

He jerked back a little, startled.

"Eh? No, there's nothing-"

"It wasn't a question." And it clearly wasn't, if the intensity Zoro was now looking at him with was any indication. "Listen, about last night, umm..." He mumbled, looking away.

Here it was. He was going to tell him that it had just been a mistake, that he'd never really wanted to and didn't know what the hell he was doing, that they were both men and on top of that, they hated each other, and there was no way it could ever work between them.

"We don't have to ever speak of it again. It's alright." Sanji tried to turn to leave, before realizing that Zoro's grip had tightened on his arm.

"No. It's not that. I just..." He trailed off, not seeming to know how to put it into words.

There was a pause. Sanji just waited to see what was so important that it would drive hm to act like this. He made sure to resist the urge to lean in closer. Kissing him had been fun... _Too fun,_ in fact. Things had been weird and tense ever since it happened, and he didn't want to misinterpret anything or send the wrong signals. No, he couldn't risk giving Zoro any more ammo to use against him. The blonde remained deathly still, as if frozen.

"Why don't we... Well, I mean..." The swordsman let go of him, to rub the back of his own neck in confusion.

"Get on with it. What are you trying to say? Just spit it out already." Sanji crossed his arms, rolling his eyes impatiently and biting back an insult.

"It's not so easy to just say it like this, but... I can tell you're as frustrated as I am. I mean, we've all been sailing for a long time, you know, and-"

"Whoa, hold on a minute! Are you suggesting that the two of us have sex?"

Zoro flinched at the entire sentence, seeming to shiver as the last word rolled off his tongue. "It's not like that. What I mean is, maybe we could keep at something simple. Just exchange, uhh..." He winced. "Alright, we could give each other handjobs, maybe?"

"Well... I _am_ curious..." Sanji tilted his head back, staring down at him with a single blue eye.

"Yeah? No kidding. I could tell that after yesterday." He laughed, his shoulders heaving with the effort to suppress a chuckle.

"No, I mean... If you're so desperate for relief... Why don't you just get it on with Robin-chan or someone?"

"Hm. Did _you_ have any luck with her?" The swordsman cocked an eyebrow at him, mirthfully.

"Well, no but-"

"Exactly. There's your answer." He nodded firmly, as if the matter was all settled and decided. It appeared that in Zoro's mind, it was.

"Look..." Sanji cut him off again. "Just because _I_ can't, doesn't mean _you_ couldn't... Maybe, I don't know!" He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "I'm sure some of the others wouldn't mind helping you out though."

"Are you saying that I'm more attractive than you, ero cook?" That damned smirk was back.

"Ah, well..." He scratched the back of his head, his fingers roving over the blonde strands effortlessly. An insult definitely did not fit here, but a compliment didn't either. "Not exactly, but... Kind of?"

"Then you _do_ think I'm attractive..." Zoro's smirk widened. He was clearly loving this. "That settles it then."

"Settles what? Damn it, shitty Marimo, fight me if that's what you want! But stop being weird already!" Sanji kicked at him, but he easily dodged it. The attack was only half-hearted anyway. He hadn't even put that much force into it.

"Hey! Watch it! Unless you want me to cut off that leg where you stand..."

"Idle threats. You wouldn't dare to do anything like that. You depend on this leg too much. It's what carries me to the kitchen to cook for you, and what defends you from enemies, and-"

He was silenced by a set of lips hastily pressed against his own. The swordsman was clutching him by the collar, holding him close so he couldn't move away just yet.

"What are you doing?"

"Shutting you up. Meet me here at midnight... Or else I'll drag you out of bed myself."

Zoro released the collar of his shirt. He hadn't even realized that he'd done that. Shaking himself off, he walked away, refusing to allow Sanji any room to argue. It really was settled now. They would both be there, regardless. Even Sanji still needed relief, after all... 

* * *

**A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the lovely Kpuffs, for being my first actual ZoSan nakama, yay! ;D (If you haven't checked out her work, then you reeeeally should, because it's amazing, btw! She's one of my favorite writers.)**

 **For the rest of you, I really hope to hear from you soon. I hope someone out there is enjoying this story. I have no idea how long it'll be, but I guess the muses have taken me by surprise, so who knows? I have lots of fun ideas for this though. Things should take an unexpected turn in the next chapter. Yay for surprises! ;D**

 **-Kaline**


End file.
